Benson's Contract

[Eli]

16 minutes ago, UA'08 said:

ODUs stadium is nice, but way too big for what we need. Give me a Quinnipiac or Monmouth type place. Or even something like Stony Brook. I think an arena around the capacity of 4K with all chairbacks is perfect. 

Agreed. We don't need an 8k arena. We'll NEVER fill it (sorry to say). The same capacity we have now is more than fine. We just need new amenities, etc.

I just shared the images to show the overall aesthetics.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Eli

[nysteve661]

13 minutes ago, UA'08 said:

ODUs stadium is nice, but way too big for what we need. Give me a Quinnipiac or Monmouth type place. Or even something like Stony Brook. I think an arena around the capacity of 4K with all chairbacks is perfect. 

And please no battleship gray like SEFCU.  Alternate chair backs in purple and gold maybe? Or alternate sections?  That would look sharp.

[Dane96]

Burns Arena- Dixie State (where Matt Conway plays).  4800 seats.  PERFECT.

 

Monmouth- 4100 seats- Perfect setup, I'd like a few more seats.

Lincoln Memorial University- Tex Turner Arena- 5100 Seats- PERFECT

[nysteve661]

2 minutes ago, Clickclack said:

This...no need for anything over 4k honestly. We have a hard time filling even half the place now. Considering this will be a multi-use facility maybe seating count of more is important but for basketball 3500-4200 is perfect. 

And it must seating all the way around.  Was watching Bucknell vs Colgate last night.  That is a small gym at Colgate and they got deep pockets there. They could use a new one.   Any arena with a wall at one or both ends looks like a HS gym.  UMBC and Bing have a horseshoe effect which is OKish but we can do better.

[godanesgo99]

The consensus of the posters on this board seems to be 4500-5000 seating capacity would be the goal. I am going to disagree. I don't think we will fill much bigger anytime soon, but spending 8 figures on something that doesn't have room for growth is shortsighted IMO. It will be 25-30 years before something else gets built. I'd rather see something in the 6500-7000 range with all chairbacks, and the ability to cover a section if it will be too empty. Something like big UA sheets that cover the corner sections or something. 

The venue will be used for graduations, concerts, and all types of other events. Why go too small, as long as there is a way to hide empty sections. 

[Clickclack]

6 minutes ago, godanesgo99 said:

The consensus of the posters on this board seems to be 4500-5000 seating capacity would be the goal. I am going to disagree. I don't think we will fill much bigger anytime soon, but spending 8 figures on something that doesn't have room for growth is shortsighted IMO. It will be 25-30 years before something else gets built. I'd rather see something in the 6500-7000 range with all chairbacks, and the ability to cover a section if it will be too empty. Something like big UA sheets that cover the corner sections or something. 

The venue will be used for graduations, concerts, and all types of other events. Why go too small, as long as there is a way to hide empty sections. 

If this was a brand new facility maybe, but they are constrained with the footprint of the building. 

[B9j2j6s]

Could we expand the current footprint of Sefcu?   Also what new amenities would people like to see?  

Edited March 14, 2019 by B9j2j6s

[godanesgo99]

35 minutes ago, Clickclack said:

If this was a brand new facility maybe, but they are constrained with the footprint of the building. 

Why?

Here is crude microsoft paint drawing.... The Red shows where SEFCU could be expanded without losing any parking or even having to move the road.  According to google earth, this expansion of the building would almost exactly double the potential square footage.

The orange is an area that is either open ground now, or the university has been buying property in that could turn into additional parking spaces. There is plenty of room.

Edited March 14, 2019 by godanesgo99

[Clickclack]

13 minutes ago, B9j2j6s said:

Could we expand the current footprint of Sefcu?   Also what new amenities would people like to see?  

Rumor has it, the plan that went out for RFQ calls for expansion/lobby into the existing SEFCU lot so they plan is to expand the footprint of the building, yes...obviously pending money. 

[UA'08]

45 minutes ago, godanesgo99 said:

The consensus of the posters on this board seems to be 4500-5000 seating capacity would be the goal. I am going to disagree. I don't think we will fill much bigger anytime soon, but spending 8 figures on something that doesn't have room for growth is shortsighted IMO. It will be 25-30 years before something else gets built. I'd rather see something in the 6500-7000 range with all chairbacks, and the ability to cover a section if it will be too empty. Something like big UA sheets that cover the corner sections or something. 

The venue will be used for graduations, concerts, and all types of other events. Why go too small, as long as there is a way to hide empty sections. 

I used to think 6500-7000 too, but that is too big. We averaged a little over 2k this season albeit a bad season. Our best season attendance avg was about 3500 I think. With a 6500-7000 seat arena players will feel like they’re playing in an empty facility.

[UAalum72]

7 minutes ago, B9j2j6s said:

Could we expand the current footprint of Sefcu?   Also what new amenities would people like to see?  

Push the wall toward the parking lot. Add entrance facility with ticket sales for anybody who parks in the SEFCU lot. Disability-compliant entry from that side. More convenient concession sales and restrooms.

Agree that something expandable to the 6-7000 range should be planned for. Maybe concourses along the top where you could later add more seating if desired. UMBC's arena seats 4,600 for basketball and up to 6000 for other events, and they don't even have seats along one baseline.

When the original Knickerbocker Arena was in the planning stages, I and many others thought 8  or 9000 would've been plenty. I'm glad they went to 15K.

[kikuria]

12 minutes ago, UA'08 said:

I used to think 6500-7000 too, but that is too big. We averaged a little over 2k this season albeit a bad season. Our best season attendance avg was about 3500 I think. With a 6500-7000 seat arena players will feel like they’re playing in an empty facility.

Would more seats allow for outside revenue via concerts and other events?

[Clickclack]

15 minutes ago, UAalum72 said:

Push the wall toward the parking lot. Add entrance facility with ticket sales for anybody who parks in the SEFCU lot. Disability-compliant entry from that side. More convenient concession sales and restrooms.

Agree that something expandable to the 6-7000 range should be planned for. Maybe concourses along the top where you could later add more seating if desired. UMBC's arena seats 4,600 for basketball and up to 6000 for other events, and they don't even have seats along one baseline.

When the original Knickerbocker Arena was in the planning stages, I and many others thought 8  or 9000 would've been plenty. I'm glad they went to 15K.

The dye has been cast...it won't be that big. 

[UA'08]

8 minutes ago, kikuria said:

Would more seats allow for outside revenue via concerts and other events?

Maybe, but wouldn’t well known artists go to TU anyway to perform?

Edited March 14, 2019 by UA'08

[nysteve661]

1 hour ago, UA'08 said:

Maybe, but wouldn’t well known artists go to TU anyway to perform?

My wife just saw Elton John at the Barclays Center and a few days before he was at the TU Center.  Big acts prefer 15,000+.  Secondary acts might prefer 7000 so the place doesn't look empty.  A packed Palace Theater back in the day made for a nice concert for close to 3000 I believe.